Following a couple of weeks after the Milan show, Paris’s Salon HiFi Home Cinema at the Pullman Rive Gauche Hotel is one of the longest-running shows in Europe. It has, naturally, a uniquely Gallic flavor, exemplified by large rooms that are elegantly attired and comfortable, a host of odd-looking loudspeakers, plenty of tube equipment and unexpected surprises, like the first showing in Europe of the Audio Research DS-Pre, which just missed Milan.

Rumored to be the last at this venue -- the hotel is being sold -- there are hopes that next year’s event will see a return to the spectacular Palais des Congrès.